Matt Holliday should make another run at the National League's MVP award in 2008.

Catchers- Yorvit Torrealba, Chris Iannetta, Edwin Bellorin

Yorvit Torrealba calls an excellent game, but his offense is average at best.  Torrealba did heat up during the playoffs, and he has proven he can hit in Coors Field, but when the Rockies go on the road, be prepared to sit your catcher until they return home.  He is a sleeper to hit 20 home runs, and bat .280 with 80 RBI.  Look for Torrealba to go in the middle round of the draft due to the lack of solid catchers available.  Chris Iannetta is not as developed as Torrealba, but if he has a great spring, watch for him to steal the starting job and be a fantasy sleeper in deeper leagues.  Edwin Bellorin has future potential in keeper leagues, but will not produce anything this season, or even the next.

First Base- Todd Helton, Joe Koshansky, Jeff Baker 

Todd Helton is still one of the best hitters in the game today.  He has great patience at the plate, and the ability to get on base consistently.  Last year, Helton hit .320 with 17 home runs and 91 RBI.  He has lost some of his power, but still has the ability to hit 20 plus home runs.  Watch for Helton to hit .310 with about 20 home runs, and 100 RBI.  Joe Koshansky has good power potential, but he has not, and will not get the playing time needed to develop his game as long as Helton stands in his way.  He is only 25 years old and could be the future replacement for the aging Todd Helton.  Koshansky will not be a factor this year, and should only be drafted in the deepest of keeper leagues.  Jeff Baker had a good showing two years ago when he batted .368, with 5 homeruns and 21 RBI, but last year he appeared in 67 more games and only batted .222, with 4 home runs and 12 RBI.  Baker does have a shot at getting some playing time at both first and second base, but he will not play enough to make him worth picking up. 

Middle Infielders- Troy Tulowitzki, Ian Stewart, Marcus Giles, Clint Barnes, Jayson Nix

Troy Tulowitzki is one of the best shortstops in the NL.  Last season he batted .291, with 24 home runs and 99 RBI.  Tulowitzki also scored 104 runs and stole 7 bases.  During the off-season, Tulowitzki shed some weight to give him added range in the field, which could also turn into more stolen bases.  The weight loss might affect his power numbers, but fantasy owners need not worry.  Tulowitzki will bring his average up to .300, and hit 25 home runs and 100 RBI.  Hitting in the top half of the lineup will also help him pick up 100 runs scored.  Ian Stewart spent the off-season working out at second base.  Last season Stewart played in 35 games, and batted .209, with a home run and 9 RBI.  Even though his numbers last year were horrendous, he is a late round sleeper to win rookie of the year if he can beat out Jayson Nix for the starting job at second.  Nix has been a prospect in the Rockies system for a few years now, and he is currently the favorite to win the job at second.  He’s an excellent defensive player, described as having soft hands.  He also has some pop in his swing, but may struggle to hit for a high average in the majors.  If he makes the team he will likely bat somewhere near the bottom of the lineup, limiting his fantasy potential.   Marcus Giles has had a few good years in the major leagues with the Braves, but he is better off as a reserve player, even if he wins the starting job, an unlikely event.   Clint Barnes will make solid run at taking the second base job, but his is more likely to be in the minor leagues for the majority of the year.

Third Base- Garrett Atkins, Ian Stewart

Garret Atkins had one of the best second halves of anyone in baseball last season.  He batted .301, with 25 home runs and 111 RBI.  At just 29 years old, he has proven to be fairly durable by playing in over 130 games each year since getting the starting job.  His durability and consistency will continue to be one of his best assets over the next five years.   Watch for Atkins to improve once again this year by batting .310, with 30 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs, and 200 hits.  Atkins should be one of the top five third baseman taken in the draft this year.   Ian Stewart will occasionally play third to give Atkins some time off during the season. 

Outfielders- Matt Holiday, Willy Taveras, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Spilborghs, Scott Posednik

The NL MVP runner-up, Matt Holliday was an instrumental piece to the Rockies run into the World Series.  Last year, Holiday proved that his 2006 production was not a fluke by batting .340, with 36 home runs and 137 RBI.  Holliday also managed to score 120 runs and steal 11 bases.  He is the number one outfielder in all formats of fantasy baseball, and will likely go in the first round of most drafts.  Holliday will likely see his average normalize to .320, but he will continue to hit 35 or more home runs, and knock in 120.  Heading into the spring training Willy Taveras will be the favorite to be the starting centerfielder.  Taveras is a base stealing threat, but should only be considered as a starter on a fantasy roster in the deepest of NL-only formats.  Brad Hawpe is a solid number two outfielder in fantasy baseball, and will perform like a number one at times.  Hawpe has the power to hit 30 home runs and will consistently bat around .280-.290.  Batting in the middle of the most deadly lineup in the NL makes him a top 30 outfielder.  Ryan Spilborghs and Scott Podsednik will have little to no value on a fantasy roster.  If Taveras starts slow or get injured, Podsednik will have a chance to play, but his injury plagued seasons in 06 and 07 make him very unreliable.

Starting Rotation- Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Franklin Morales, Jason Hirsh

Jeff Francis had a good season last year going 17-9, with a 4.22 ERA and 165 strikeouts.  Francis will be a good number two starter and he may win 17-20 games this year because of the potent offense, but his ERA could cause some trouble for owners.  Francis is better left till the later rounds unless in a NL-only league.  Aaron Cook is a good young pitcher, but is a bit of an injury risk.  Last season cook went 8-7 with a 4.12 ERA.  Cook is a late round sleeper, but he wont pick up many strikeouts and his ERA could be an issue.  He will win 10-15 games and his sinkerball may help him get more outs than expected.  Ubaldo Jimenez is a tremendous sleeper; he has an electric fastball and an elusive slider.  Jimenez will show improvement over his 4-4 and 4.28 ERA from a year ago.  Watch for Jimenez to win 12-15 games and lower his ERA below 4.00, while striking out 175 batters or more.  Be sure not to take Jimenez too early because he is still developing and should fall to the middle to late end of the draft.  The rest of the rotation is a risk but could rack up some wins if the offense hits like they did a year ago. 

Relief Pitching- Manny Corpas, Brian Fuentes, Taylor Buchholz, Ryan Speier, Matt Herges, Jose Capellan

Manny Corpas stepped into the closer role late last season after Brian Fuentes imploded.  Corpas converted 19 of 20 attempts and will be the closer again this year.  The Rockies offense could hurt his save totals because of fewer close games, but the save opportunities he gets will be converted.  Corpas should still save 30-40 games this year and have a 2-4 record with a 2.50 ERA, making him a strong number two closer.  Brian Fuentes’ mid-season collapse shouldn’t affect him that much this season.  The Rockies still have a lot of confidence in Fuentes, and still believe he can close games.  Fuentes will not be the closer, but could be one of the best setup men in the NL.  Fuentes has a lot of value in NL-only leagues and should be drafted as one of the top middle relievers.  Taylor Buchholz is not as good as the other Buchholz in Boston , but he does have a lot of potential.  Buchholz along with the rest of the bullpen should be considered nothing more than low-end middle relievers. 

Projected Lineup

Willy Taveras CF

Todd Helton 1B

Matt Holiday LF

Garrett Atkins 3B

Trot Tulowitzki SS

Brad Hawpe RF

Yorvit Torrealba C

Ian Stewart 2B

Projected Rotation

Jeff Francis

Aaron Cook

Ubaldo Jimenez

Franklin Morales

Jason Hirsh

Closer

Manny Corpas

Next in Line

Brian Fuentes